Laughs, Loss, and Love
by mj-neHH
Summary: Loren Tate was a sweet, kind hearted girl. Everything in her life was perfect. That is until one day everything went down hill; her brother Tyler dies in a car accident. Since that day Loren pushes away anyone that tries to talk to her, with an exception of her mom, Mel, and Adam. Will rockstar Eddie Duran change that? Or will he get pushed away like everyone else. Read to find out
1. Chapter 1: Fighters and Cheaters

**So, here it is. I really hope you like this. The idea just kind of just came to me. Everything is VERY different. Just thought I'd warn you...**

**Chapter 1**

Everything was going great for 18 year-old, Loren Tate. She recently got accepted into the college of her dreams and found out that she has a half-brother, Tyler Rorke. It turns out that not only did Trent have an affair when he was with Nora, but had a son that Loren never knew about. Tyler showed up at Loren's home in Tarzana one day claiming that Trent McCall was his dad as well as Loren's and that he was Loren's brother. Nora was a bit skeptical at first, but realized that he wasn't lying after remembering seeing a tattoo of Tyler's name on Treant's shoulder. He would never tell her who Tyler was, but that day she finally found out. Loren got to know Tyler better and they ended up having a rerally close relationship. They've known each other for 5 years now and are almost as inseperable as Loren and her best friend, Melissa Sanders. In one more week, Loren and Mel will be graduating from West Valley Charter High School. Even though Loren got accepted into Brown, she decided she was going to take a year off to help her mom with the billsfor a while before she goes. As much has Nora has protested, Loren has her mind made up. One day Tyler told her: "Ma, you might as well go ahead and give it up. She ian't going to change her mind." And right he was. At first, Tyler didn't feel too comfortable calling Nora "mom". But after a while, he realized she was going to be as close to having a mom then he'll ever get. They one big happy family and things couldn't have been going better.

Loren still lives with her mom and Tyler visits every now and then, but him and Loren always see each other.

"Sis! Where's the remote?!" Tyler yells from the living room. "In the same place it was last time", is Loren's response as she tries to finish doing her homwork. After a few moments of silence, Tyler calls Loren once again.

"I don't see it!"

"Ugh!" Loren throws her books aside realizing she isn't going to get any work done with him bugging her. She storms into the living room and shoots glares at Tyler as she walks over to the sofa, feels in between the coshions and pulls out the remote. "Is this what you were looking for?"

Tyler gives a shy smile and grabs the remote. "That's ok. I was getting tired of watching t.v. anyways." He shrugs and goes to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

By now Loren is fuming. She walks into the kitchen and glares at Tyler through narrowed eyes. "You mean to tell me, you did all that whining just for me to stop what I was doing and for you to say 'you were tierd of watching t.v. anyways?"

"Well..."He had to think about that one. He wasn't whining, but at the same time, that was kind of a waste of time. "I guess...yea."

That was the last draw. She jumped on Tyler making him fall to the floor, dropping his water bottle in the process. Tyler and Loren had fought many times before over the years, but it never ceased to amaze Tyler how strong Loren was for a girl her age. By now they were going at it full on. One minute Tyler was on top of Loren, then she was on top of him the next. Loren had Tyler on his back once again, but this time she wasn't letting him up. She trapped him firmly under her legs and pinned his arms down. "Don't feel so tough now do you?", Loren teased.

"Get off me!" Tyler squirmed under her, but her hold on him didn't loosen at all. Nora heard the ruckus and went to the living room only to find her son pinned to the floor and squirming under his little sister. "What did he do this time?", she asked, unfazed. Nora was used to seeing this. It happened almost everyday. They would argue or fight like they are now then end up laughing about it later.

"He kept whining-"

"Asking!"

Loren shoots him another glare and silences him. "_Asking_ for the remote, and when I finally gave it to him, he said he didn't want to watch tv anymore. The whole point of me stopping what I was doing, which was my homework by the way, was to give him the stupid remote!"

"Ok," Nora sighs, "one, Loren get off your brother." Loren gets up and goes to sit on the sofa. Tyler sits up and starts rubbing his wrists. "Two, Tyler, if you ask her to stop what she doing to help you, the least you could do is at least pretend to be grateful. Now, I'm going to go lay down. I've had a really stressful day at the office and I feel like I'm talking to two 6 year-olds instead of the two adults that you are."

"Are you ok, mom." Loren was worried. She knew Nora and Don weren't together anymore, but she didn't think of the problems that it would cause once she went back to work. "Yea, sweet heart. Don, just piled me up with work today. I think he's still upset."

"He doesn't have the right to be upset. Ma, if that bastard causes you any problems, I swear I'll kill him." Tyler was getting pissed. Nora didn't blame him though. Don had put her through alot. They had been together for a whole year and it turns out that Don was sleeping with Ellie for half of that time. When Tyler and Loren found out, Loren stayed to comfort Nora, but Tyler was going to confront Don. Luckily, his best friend, Eddie Duran, was with him and calmed him down before he did anything stupid.

"It's ok, Tyler. I'm ok." Nora laughed at how protective her kids were of her. Even though she wasn't Tyler's real mom, she still treated him as if he were her own son. He meant alot not only to Loren but to Nora as well. "Hey, I'm the mom here. Shouldn't I be the one threatening to kill people?"

Loren laughed. "Maybe, but we still love you, mom." Tyler got up off the floor and put a protective arm around both of the Tate girls. "And I may not have been a part of this family for long, but I'll do everything in my power to protect you guys." They all came together in a group hug but were soon interrupted by the sound of a horn.

"Oh, sorry guys. That's Ed. Uh, I'll see you later, Ma." Tyler kissed Nora on the cheek before pushing Loren on the shoulder and grabbing his jacket. "Bye, big head."

Tyler laughs. "Whatever, see you later, sis." He rushed out of the house and hopped into the car with Eddie. "What's up, man."

Him and Eddie did the little bro hug, hand shake thingy. "Nothin much. What about you, Ed?" Eddie pondered the question, as if he didn't know the answer to how he was doing. "Still waiting on you to hook me up with your fine ass sister."

Tyler laughed. "Not gonna happen, man. You're my best friend. I want it to stay that way." Eddie pulls out of the driveway and onto the street. They're on their way to Eddie's penthouse. "What's that supposed to mean?" He honestly didn't understand what Tyler was talking about. What did him dating Loren have to do with him being Tyler's best friend?

Tyler sighs. "If you start dating Loren, things might go good in the beginning, but knowing you, you'll do something stupid." Eddie looks at him like he has three heads before focusing his attention on the road again. "What? Don't give me that look. Eddie, I've seen how you are with girls. You're with somebody new almost every other week." Eddie shook his head even though he knew Tyler was telling the truth. But what could he say? He just can't seem to find the right one. A few girls were just a distraction, something to keep him busy, butthat doesn't make him a bad guy. Does it?

"And after you do something stupid," Tyler continued, "Loren will be heart broken. The same way she was when dad left." Eddie stopped at a red light and looked over at Tyler. He wasn't kidding. Tyler looked at Eddie with a serious expression on his face. "And if I have to see Loren heart broken, then I'm going to have to kick your ass."

Eddie looked in Tyler's eyes for any sign of humor or playfulness but knew he wasn't kidding when he didn't find any. "You really care sbout her don't you." Eddie turned his attention back to the road and started driving again. "Of course. She's my sister. For once I actually have something worth caring about."

The rest of the ride was silent. Both boys were in their own worlds, thinking about Loren. Eddie knew Tyler was serious when he said he would kick is ass if he hurt Loren, but that didn't change his feelings for her. He knew he had a not so good reputation with women, but it wasn't because he was a womanizer. His parents, Max and Katy Duran, had a love that most people could only dream about. He wanted that love with someone. Most of the girls he's dated in the past were vinidictive, manipulative, stuck up, rich girls who turned out to be total bitches. Case in point his last girl friend, Chloe Carter. She had been lying to him about everything; her real name, where she was born, she even lied about the fact that her mom was dead. When in reality Her mother was good and healthy life. Then to top all that off, she was cheating on him with Dylan Boyd, Eddie's sworn enemy. **(Sorry, had to get someone to replace Tyler.)** Ian, Eddie's other best friend, and Tyler always told him that Chloe was no good, but Eddie was too blinded by what he thought was love.

Tyler was thinking about Loren as well. He knew Eddie wouldn't intentionally hurt Loren, but what Eddie has to understand is that not every relationship is going to be like Max and Katy's. He has to move on from this fantasy of a perfect love that he has. Loren is amazing. He knows that. Hell, if she wasn't his sister, he would probably try to get with her. But, if Eddie were to hurt Loren in anyway, he would go crazy. At the same time, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to hook them up. He already doesn't like that bastard, Cameron, Loren's current boyfriend. He can't explain it, but something just doesn't sit right about him. Tyler laughed at how much he sounded like Loren, then immediately felt guilty. He mentally slapped himself for wishing that Cameron would do something stupid to make Loren break up with him. He would never wish for Loren to be hurt. But, at the same time, he didn't like the thought of Cameron with Loren. Regardless, he didn't know what to do. If stays with Cameron, it's only a matter of time before he does somehting stupid and breaks her heart. But, if she dates there's still a possibilty that she could get hurt. Then, he figured what he was going to do. Nothing. He was going to absolutely nothing. At the end of the day it's Loren's decision. So he's just going to jave to deal with it, but be there for her when she needs someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. And that day, Tyler made vow to himself and a promise to Loren: 1) No matter what, he would support Loren. Even if he didn't like. 2) That he will NEVER leave like Trent did. The only thing that was going to make him leave Loren was his death. And that wasn't happening anytime soon.

They pull up to Eddie penthouse, after 5 more painful minutes of silence. Once they get to Eddie's floor, they step out to see a very shocking scene.

* * *

After Tyler left, Loren decided she was going to call Cameron and invite him over. She hadn't seen him in a couple of weeks and thought they needed to hang out. After about three rings, Cameron finally answered the phone.

There was music blasting in the back ground and Loren could hear laughter. "Hello?" Cam didn't sound like himself. Loren thought he was upset but then she heard him laugh.

"Hey, babe." There were a few beats of silence, then: "Who is this?" Loren was confused. Did he not see what the caller id said when he answerd the phone?

"It's Loren."

"Who's Loren?" What the hell?! What do you mean who's Loren?! We've been dating for like 8 months. Something was definitely up. And she needed to find out what.

"Uh, you know, Loren. The girl you've been dating for the past eight months!" She wasn't sure if was joking arond or if he was serious, but either way she was pissed. She was about to hang up when he didn't answer but after another beat of silence he spoke up. This time sounding like a completely different person.

"Oh! Hey, baby! Sorry about that. What you up to?" This wasn't like him. Why was he sounding so different when she first called. "Um, nothing. But, I was wondering, do you think you could come over. I haven't seen you at school lately and I miss you."

Another beat of silence then: "Um, I'm sorry, babe but I don't think I can make it."

"Aww, why?"

"Uh, I'm just really busy right now." Yea, I can tell by the blasting music in the back ground and the sound of you laughing. "Oh, ok, well maybe later."

"Uh, yea sure later, bye Loren." Before I had chance to say anything else, he hung up.


	2. Chapter 2: It's Over

**Thank you for your patience. Here's chapter 2. Chapter 5 for No words will be up soon.**

**Chapter 2**

Eddie and Tyler got off the elevator to see something they least expected. Cameron, Loren's current boyfriend, had some girl pushed up against the wall right beside Eddie's door and was making out with her like there was no tomorrow. To say that Tyler was pissed was an understatement.

"Tyler I think you should-" Before Eddie was even able to finish his sentence, Tyler was charging towards Cam. He grabbed Cam by the shoulders and yanked him off the girl. The girl screamed and ran to the elevator when Tyler threw him to the floor. Eddie started to walk towards Tyler to break them up, but Tyler stopped him with a look that said 'Don't even think about it'. Tyler grabbed Cam by his collar and slammed him against the wall.

Clearly drunk, Cam asked, "What's your problem, bro."

Giving him a fierce glare Tyler spat back, "What's _my_ problem?! My sister a.k.a. your _girlfriend_ is probably at home wondering where the hell you are and you're here all over some random girl! What the hell is _your_ problem?" Cam shrugged his shoulders and Tyler punched him in the jaw, knocking him out cold. "Let's see if that helps you figure it out."

"What the hell, Ty! He was just a kid?" Eddie wasn't trying to stand up for Cam, but he thought it was a little harsh what Tyler did. "Don't you think that you were a little too hard on him?"

"Are you seriously trying to stand up for him?! He was cheating on Loren! What did you expect me to do? Dance around him singing about rainbows and unicorns?"

Eddie sighed. "Nevermind. So, what are you going to do now?"

Tyler pondered the question for a while. "There's only one to do. I have to tell Loren that her asshole of a boyfriend was cheating on her." He pulled out his phone and scrolled down to Loren's contact. He hesitated for a moment before pressing the call button. This is going to break her heart.

After three rings, she answered the phone. "Hello?" She sounded like her mouth was full of food.

"Hey, Lo." How was he going to tell her? As much as he hated Cam and wanted them to break up, it pained him to think of what Loren might feel once he tells her.

"Oh, hey, big head! What's up? Didn't you leave here like 30 minutes ago? What's the matter, miss me already?", she said in a teasing voice. She really had no idea. This was going to be harder than he thought. He honestly didn't know what to say to her. He hated Cam for cheating on her in the first place. He hated that he was going to have to tell his sister that her boyfriend that she loved, was cheating on her. He hated that he was going to have to see her cry when he got home. He hated that their dad had left her at a young age. And even though there were all these things that he hated, none of that could change the situation at hand.

When Tyler didn't respond after a minute or two, Loren got concerned. "Hello? Ty, is something wrong?" The worry in her voice was clear. "Ty, just tell me. I'm a big girl I can handle it."

This was breaking his heart. "I'm on my way home. I'll tell you when I get there." He hung up before she had a chance to respond. He gave Eddie and apologetic look.

"It's cool, we can hang out some other time." Eddie felt really bad for Tyler. He knew what it felt like to have to tell someone you love bad news and to watch them suffer. They went back down the elevator and got into Eddie's car. The ride to Loren's house was filled with an awkward silence. After what seemed like hours, they finally pulled into Loren's driveway. Tyler stayed in the car for a few moments before getting out. "Good luck, Ty."

"Thanks, man." Eddie backed out onto the street and Tyler waved. He made his way to the door and hesitated once again before entering the house.

"Hey, what is it you wanted to tell me?" Loren was sitting on the sofa next to Mel, who was watching _The Notebook_. Tyler closed the door and sat in the love seat diagonal to where the girls were sitting.

"Mel, do you mind pausing that for a minute?" Mel nodded and grabbed the remote, pausing the movie. "Um, well...I'm so sorry, Lo." Panic and concern soon consumed Loren's face as these words came out of Tyler's mouth.

"For what? You didn't do anything...You didn't do anything, right, Tyler?" She leaned forward earger for his answer, but still worried about what it may be. When he shook his head she relaxed a bit. "That still doesn't answer my question though. What do you want to tell me?"

Barely audible, Tyler said a little above a whisper, "I caught Cam cheating on you."

Loren's eyes narrowed then widened once she realized what he had said. "No." She shook her head not wanting to believe that it's true.

"Yes, Loren." Even he didn't want it to be true, but it was. And her not wanting to belive it wasn't going to change anything. "Me and Eddie got off the elevator and he had a girl pinned against the wall next to Eddie's door." He got up and sat on the coffe table in front of the sofa so that he was directly in front of her. He cupped her face with hands so that she was forced to look at him. He snuck a glance at Mel and her face showed nothing but pure rage. He looked Loren dead in the eyes bfore speaking slowly and clearly to her. "Listen to me. You don't need him. You're to good for him and he doesn't deserve you, you hear me?" Once she nodded he continued. "Now as much as I hated the bastard to begin with, I would never lie to you and I would never wish this upon you. I love you. Mom loves you. And you don't need me to tell you that Mel loves you. You're surrounded by people that love and support you. If he feels like he has to cheat, then trust me he doesn't deserve any of your tears." He usd his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

"And don't worry, Lo. The next time I see the son of a bitch the last thing he's going to remember is me walking up to him." Loren smiled at how protective Mel was being.

"I don't think he's going to remeber anything that happened today, though." Both Mel and Loren gave Tyler a puzzled look. "I kind of knocked him out before I came home." The girls looked at each other before bursting into laughter. They laughed until they had to until hold their stomchs and tears formed at the corners of their eyes. After about another five minutes, they finally composed themselves. Tyler looked between the both of them. "You done?"

"Yeah, sorry. No offence bro, but Cameron's always been the one to knock someone out." Loren Laughed again before getting up and going to her room.

"What are you doing?"

She came back into the living room with her phone. "Nothing. Just going to call the asshole and let him know it's over." Tyler was surprised at how fast she had gotten over him. But, he could tell she was still pissed because she never swears.

Loren dialed Cam's number and after two rings he answered. "Hello? Loren?"

"Yea, it's me. So, I heard you cheated on me." She was beyond pissed but she managed to keep her voice even.

There were a few beats of silence. "Who told you that." Playing stupid wasn't helping his situation. Instead, it made it much worse. He knew that Tyler didn't like him. He knew that Tyler being the awesome big brother that he is, was going to tell Loren. But, what he didn't expect was for Loren to belive Tyler.

Trying to calm herself down Loren said through gritted teeth, "Cam, I really don't have time for incompatence. So, with that being said, just tell me the truth." Tyler was now pacing the floor and Mel had gotten up to stand next to Loren with her hand on Loren's shoulder showing her that she supported and cared about her: two things that until now, Loren realized Cam never did. Any time she would tell him about her dreams of going to Brown or maybe, just maybe, pursuing a musical career, he would just nod and say something along the lines of, "That sound nice", "Oh, really?", or her personal favorite, "Huh, I never knew that." Everything he did, from they way he completely ignored her at times, to the way he talked to her like she was nothing sometimes, all pointed to the obvious; he never had feelings for her. It hurt her to a point where she wanted burst into tears. But, she controlled herself because Ty was right. He doesn't deserve her tears.

Cameron sighs. "Tyler was telling telling the truth." He heard Loren sigh heavily into the phone. "Wait, just hear me out."

Loren couldn't help it. She started laughing, humorlessly, earning confused and concerned looks from both Tyler and Melissa. Finding composure, Loren asked, "What could you possibly say to change and/or help your situation right now?!" When he didn't answer, she said, "Yea. I thought so. So I only have one thing to say you. It's over. Don't call, text, e-mail, look at, or even think about me. It was nice knowing you, babe." And on that note, she hung up. **(...like a BAWSE! LOL! Go Loren!) **She put her phone down on the coffee table, pressed play, and sat down to finish watching _The Notebook. _Tyler and Mel were staring at her like she had three heads. "What?"

"Are you ok?", Mel asked slowly. She gave Loren a weird look when she started laughing again, this time clearly amused. "What has into?"

"Nothing. I just don't want to spend my time crying over some boy who just doesn't give a damn." And it was the truth. Mel beamed at her best friend and walked back over to the sofa, where she took seat, hugged Loren, and begin wathching the movie again. Loren patted the spot next to her for Tyler, who slowly made his way over and sat down stiffly. "What's wrong?"

"Loren, I know you.", he stated matter-of-factly. "And I know that when you're hurting, you tend to bottle up your feelings so that people won't worry about you. So, right now I need you to tell me, are you sure you're ok?"

Loren sighed. She didn't want to have this conversation in front of Mel - even if she was going to end up telling her later. She got up, grabbed his hand, and literally dragged him to her room. After she closed the door, she gave him a look and sighed.

"Lo, I need to know." Tyler was really worried about her. Loren has always been a generous and caring person. So, when she has a problem or is really hurt about something she doesn't tell anyone because she doesn't want them to worry about her.

Loren flops down on her bed and pats the spot next to her. After Tyler sits down, she explains herself. "I'm oik. Really, I am. I mean, I'm upset and disappointed that he would do something like that to me after everything we've been through. But, at the end of the day, it happened and there's nothing I can do that will change that. So, there's only one thing I can do; Move on." She gives him a weary smile and he nods in understanding.

"Well, just promise me one thing."

"Ok, what is it?"

"If you ever need someone to talk to or you don't know what to do, you'll come to me. Tell me."

She pulled Tyler into a tight embrace and he gladly returns the gesture. "You'll be the first to know. I love you, Ty."

"I love you, too, sis."

**Awww. Isn't that sweet? Lol, anywho, sooo sorry for taking so long. I've had a lot of homework lately. I can't wait for school to END! I'm working on chapter five for No Words so look out for that! See you later peeps!**

**-Mj**


	3. Chapter 3: Rumor

Chapter 3

School was hell for Loren the next day. Everybody wanted to know what happened between her and Cameron. Two particular questions came up that made Loren want to laugh: Who was the girl Cam cheated on Loren with? (Answer: Cam didn't know the answer to that himself) What happened to his face? (Answer: Tyler happened) Why did everyone have to be so nosy? Don't they have their own lives to live? It was time for lunch and Loren was sitting at her normal table outside with Mel and Adam.

Loren groaned and buried her face in the crook of her elbow. "What's wrong with you?" Adam's question caught her attention for 3 seconds before she put her head down once again.

Mel knew exactly what was wrong. She knew that morning when they got in the car and Loren's hardly said anything. She knew the night before when Loren opened her computer then slammed it shut again because her background was a picture of her and Cam. She rubbed her back in a circular motion to calm her down. "It's going to be ok, Lo. Just ignore them."

"That's easier said then done, Mel. I feel like a monkey in the zoo, and everybody wants me to dance for them." And it was the truth. Everybody wanted something from her. Rather it was know why Cam cheated on her or why they broke up, everybody wanted something. "Oh no."

Mel and Adam turned their heads to see what Loren was talking about. When they saw the one and only Cameron waking towards them, they both protectively put their arms around her.

"Hey, guys." Was he really trying to talk to them right now. After everything he put Loren through?

Silence.

"I said, hey, guys."

Again, silence. Loren and Mel went back to eating like no one was standing there trying to have a conversation with them, but Adam wasn't letting him off that easy. "Are you seriously going to stand there and act like nothing happened?"

"What are you talking about Adam?" Playing stupid again. Loren was about to say something when Mel shook her head. This wasn't her fight. She focused her attention back on her food and let Adam handle it.

Cam was about to put his hand on Loren's shoulder, but Adam stood up and shoved him away. "Go."

"Bu-"

Adam cut him off. "I said GO!" Loren had never seen Adam so mad before, but he had every right to be. Adam and Mel had been by Loren's side since kindergarten. Adam had always been like an older brother to Loren, even when Tyler came into the picture.

Cam walked away, but not before he said something to both Adam and Loren. "Adam you better watch your back. You're going to regret ever putting your hands on me. And Loren...I'll be back for you, babe."

"Kiss my ass."And that was all she had to say. "With pleasure." She rolled her eyes in disgust at his response. When he was out of earshot, Loren let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding in. The bell rung letting them know that lunch was over. Loren quickly got up, said her farewells to Adam and Mel, and went to her next class, eager for the day to end.

* * *

Eddie tossed his keys onto the coffee table and flopped down on the expensive black leather sofa sitting in his living room. He sighed, exhausted from a long day of Chloe drama, and flipped through the channels on the t.v., absently. Everyday was the same with her. A few weeks ago, he found out that Chloe was cheating on him with Dylan Boyd, some perverted and conceited actor. Then, as if that wasn't enough, her "dead" mother showed up at his doorstep asking for Cynthia Kowalski. That was the last straw. He cut things of with her. He was devastated that his fiance was lying to and cheating on him their whole relationship. So, here he was, sitting in his self petty. His hone rung and he was glad to see it was Tyler; He could really use a friend to talk to.

"Hey, Ty."

"Hey. I have some good news for you. I know you could use some." Tyler knew everything about the whole Chloe drama. And in all honesty, he felt really sorry for Eddie. He knew what is was like to love somebody with every part of himself just to find out that it was a joke to them.

Eddie sighed. "Well, what is it?" He had no idea what it was about, but he really didn't feel like going through this right now.

"Ian's back in town!" Ian has been Tyler and Eddie's best friend for as long as they can remember. He works as a photographer and travels around the world for his different gigs. Ian is what you would call a party animal and most of all a player. he never keeps a girl for more than a few days to a week, at most.

That got Eddie's attention. He was really excited to see Ian, considering he the last time he saw him was 2 years ago. "Really? Ian's back?" Knowing Ian he would probably want to meet up somewhere to get drinks or maybe go to a club or something.

"Yup. I just got off the phone with him. He wanted to know if we could meet him somewhere to get drinks."

Exactly. Typical Ian. "Of course. When and where?" He couldn't wait to see Ian. With everything going on right now; Chloe, Jake, the label; he could really use some time to kick back.

Knowing the answer to his own question, Eddie answered at the same time Tyler did. "Rumor." They both started laughing and Tyler told him to be there at 8:00. "Alright, man. I'll see you later."

"Ok, bye, Ed." He hung up the phone and went to go check the time. Though the clock read 7:13, it didn't feel that late. He got ready then headed out the door, ready to drink away all his problems and hang out with his best buds.

* * *

Loren was getting ready to go to dinner with her best friend Melissa Sanders, her mom, and her mom's new friend Max Duran. Yes, Max Duran, rock star legend from MK, and Eddie Duran's dad. She still couldn't believe that she was going to dinner with Max Duran. Which was hard to believe because she saw Eddie all the time, considering the fact that he was her brother's best friend. She was wearing a pink dress that stopped mid-thigh, a jean jacket, and her black boots with a one-inch heel. She walked over to her mirror to apply her make-up, and put on her jewelry. To say she looked good right now was an understatement. Thinking about Eddie made her think about Tyler. She wished he could come to dinner with them. It would her feel a lot better. He had a way of making her feel good when she was around a group of people. Whenever she was feeling unwelcome and unwanted, he would put his arm around her and make her feel special. He was the best brother she could ask for, and even though she hates the fact that Trent left Ty the same way he left her, she's kind of glad it happened. It brought them together.

She was pulled from her thoughts when her phone rang. She was glad to see it was Tyler. Now she could ask him if he could come to dinner. "Hey, big bro."

"Hey, sis. I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be out with Eddie and Ian. So, tell Ma that I'll see her later or tommorrow." Loren was a little disapointed even though she knew that he probably wasn't going to be able to make it.

Loren sighed. "Ok... Wait, did you just say Ian?" Mel has had a thing for Ian as long as Loren can remember. She smiled thinking to herself about how Mel would react once she found out he was back in town. Plus, she honestly thinks Ian has a thing for Mel, too.

"Yea, he got back L.A. this morning. Why do you ask?" She could here the smile in his voice. For whatever reason, Tyler thinks Loren likes Ian and Mel likes Eddie. But in reality, he couldn't be more wrong. And even though Eddie is really...attractive...she couldn't see herself with him. He just wasn't her type. Not to mention, what would international rock star, Eddie Duran, ever see in boring valley girl, Loren Tate.

"Uh, no reason." Lie. "Well, I'll see you later, big head." She had to finish getting ready and her mom was ready to go: NOW.

"Ok, bye, Lo." She hung up the phone and finished up getting ready before running out the door.

"Mom! I'm ready!" she screamed. And they left to go to Rumor where they were having dinner at 8:00.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Eddie got to the restaurant about five minutes earlier than Tyler and Ian. He had gotten a little impatient and got a few drinks for when they got there. He was sitting at the bar about to call Ty and ask them where they were when he heard a familiar voice.

"So, like I was saying, I -" Max started, but stopped when he spotted Eddie. "Hey, son," he said clapping him on the back. "What are you doing here?" Max knew that Eddie was going out tonight, but he didn't think he would see his son at Rumor. Otherwise he would have invited him to dinner.

"Oh, uh, I supposed to meet Tyler and Ian here to have some drinks, but they haven't gotten here yet." Just as he said that, they walked in. Talk about excellent timing. But, Eddie still didn't understand what took him so long. "There they are now."

Ian's face lit up at the sight of Eddie and Max. "Long time, no see, Papa Max, Ed." They all did that bro-hug-thingy. They talked for a few minutes to catch up, until Max said he had to get back to the three beautiful women he brought to dinner that night.

"I see you, Papa Max," Ian said, clapping him on the back. "I didn't know you were still in the game." They all started laughing; Max and Eddie the most because of how loud Ian was.

After gaining his composure, Max managed to say, "Oh, trust me, it's not like that. I did bring a woman my age, but the other two are her daughter and her daughter's best friend." That got Tyler's as well as Eddie's attention. Tyler wanted to know if this was where his sister went. He remembers her saying that her, Nora, and Mel were going to dinner, but she didn't say where. Eddie wanted to know what woman had caught his dad's eye. His dad hadn't gone on a single date since Eddie's mom, Katy Duran, died in a car accident.

"Is the woman's name Nora Tate?" Tyler asked, scratching the back of his neck, a habit he picked up from  
Eddie. He didn't really care if Nora and Max were going out, because he wanted them both to be happy. But, if Nora was here then that meant Loren was here, and the last thing he wanted was to see Eddie staring at his sister's ass.

"Uh, yea, why?" Max was curious as to how Tyler knew that. Nora was a sweet and generous woman. And while Max hated to compare his current relationship with Nora to his previous one with Katy, she reminded him of his wife all the time. From her beautiful smile and laugh to the way she was so caring to the ones around her. And he loved her.

Tyler eyes went wide with surprise. "Oh, Nora is my mom." This was terrible. Loren could NOT be here. Not while Eddie was here. It wasn't that Eddie wasn't good enough for her or anything, it was just that if anything happened between Eddie and Loren and Eddie broke her heart the way Cameron did, he was going to kick Eddie's ass. He didn't want to lose his best friend. Eddie was like a brother to him. And while he may still have Ian, it wouldn't be the same without Ed.

When Tyler thought things couldn't get any worse Loren walked over. "Hey, Ty! I thought you said you were going to hang out with your friends." Loren knew Tyler said he was going out, but if she knew that he was coming here, she would have asked him to join them for dinner.

Tyler gestured to his friends and Loren turned a shade of red when she saw Eddie standing there looking at her. "Hey, Loren." He winked at her making her face turn beet-red. Eddie was crazy about Loren. He could have any girl in the world, but there was something about her that made him go crazy when he realized that he didn't have her. Eddie was anything but a player, but he wanted Loren. ALL of Loren.

Loren started staring at her hands like they were the most interesting things on earth. "Hey, Eddie." What is wring with her? Since when do she get shy in front of Eddie of all people. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her like she was the beautiful thing on earth. Maybe it was the way his eyes sparkled or the way his gray button up shirt showed just a hint of his perfect muscles or the way she had this sudden urge to run her fingers through his hair - Wait, what!

What ever it was Loren wanted Eddie.


End file.
